THE WORD
Luke 6:27-31 – But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
I could find a million reasons to be justified to take action upon others simply because they did wrong to me. The society that we live in teaches people that when they are attacked that their assailants should get what they deserve. As we read in the word of God we are instructed contrary to this worldly notion and are to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. If we take this text at face value we would know that we could do anything to people and would feel okay, right? Wrong! Let us take that scripture into a deeper meaning: Say that there are situations where I can control my anger and reactions in turn by doing something charitable. As instructed by God’s word I need to (actually) do unto them what I would want them to do unto me. Through this teaching we must learn to turn the other cheek and show love so people will observe the Godly witness that comes from your act of kindness. I also know that this is a tough subject to swallow. It always seems that there are people that will never change their attitudes and behave differently but just continue to try and cause issues. However, we have to set our standards to the word of God and live by it! We, with the mind of Christ and the love of God, have to begin to perform the unlikely acts of kindness in the midst of a hopeless world. Others must be led by your example!
PUT INTO PRACTICE
When a moment arises in affliction or confrontation, let yourself do for the other people that which you would have them do to you. Do it! Be amazed at the blessings that will follow your kind deed! This act of charity alone is what mostly defines people that are called for quality leadership in our churches, business and communities alike.